Souls Of Time : A Kingdom Hearts Story

Chapter 22: Truthful Fear

Hikari stared out at the colorful sky, as the sun set.

The flowers were slowly pulled out farther to sea. Until they could no longer be seen. I waded back to shore, and sat down in the sand. Letting the wind dry my legs before I put my socks and shoes back on. Then I sat there, feeling nothing inside. I didn't know what to feel, I just kept trying to push away all the thoughts. The sun was almost setting now.

Maybe I should head back so I don't start to worry Pyua.

But then right as I was going to get up I heard footsteps through the sand behind me. I turned my head to see Pyua. He stood there for a moment.

"Is it alright if I join you?" He wondered.

I looked at him. "Yeah, it's alright. I only needed time to think." I responded.

He walked over and sat down, joining me. We sat there for a moment with only the sound of the wind. The waves had started to grow smaller. We watched as the sun came ever closer to the horizon.

"It's different, seeing a sunset from here. Watching all the colors change, without the trees blocking the view. It's so vast and open by the ocean... I wish, I could always see this." Pyua looked at me and smiled.

I felt a smile form. The happiness came right back. Just from Pyua, from his smile.

It always seems to lighten my spirit. It feels right, with him always here by me...

"I didn't want to leave you down here for too long by yourself. It's not a good thing, being alone." Pyua spoke.

"Thank you Pyua. I enjoy your company. You don't have to worry about bothering me." I replied.
I looked down at my feet and tapped them together. "You know, when I was younger, one of my favorite things to do was to always bury my legs in the sand. Then I would try to kick them out." I gave a cheesy grin.

"That sounds funny, is that a normal thing? Did all kids do that at the beach?" Pyua started to chuckle.

"Yeah! It's fun to bury yourself in the sand when you're a kid." I laughed.

I looked over to Pyua, but he was looking down at the sand.

"I never did that when I was a kid. I never went to the beach with my family... I never really had friends, until now." Pyua said with sadness creeping in his voice.

"Pyua, I know you're keeping something back. I think now is the time to talk about it." I offered.

He gritted his teeth. "No, we came here to focus on your mother." He made the same excuse again.

He looked in pain, like he was holding back tears.

"Pyua, I will be okay. She's gone now, and we can't do anything... I miss her so much. But, I'm going to be alright. You're not if you keep doing this. You can't let yourself suffer in silence. You have to make sure you are strong enough to continue on." I turned to him.

He pulled his knees up. He looked uncomfortable, but he spoke. "Okay..."

"It's okay, I'm here for you." I put my hand on his shoulder.

He breathed in, then let ot out.

"Everything happened a long time ago, when I was a kid. But, I was told that when I was born, I started to show strange powers. They would find me in my crib, surrounded by flowers. And one night, they said they had found me, glowing... That was the night when the village in the forest was destroyed. They didn't even know what attacked them, all they saw were shadows. Some said there were these monsters. It must have been the Heartless." He looked at the sky, then sighed.